Lycanthropy
by Psychic Werewolf Assassin
Summary: A rogue werewolf pack is terrorizing Jump City. The Titans try to find who the werewolves are to stop them. As they search, Raven is infected with lycanthropy...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Teen Titans belongs to DC Comics.

Chapter One

She sipped her herbal tea in silence as she sat in the main room. Raven, sorceress and daughter of Trigon, appreciated the peace and quiet of the night, after everything with the Brotherhood of Evil. Slowly, the waning moon rose to the east of the city, the soft light illuminating the buildings. Never before had she noticed, but in the quiet she heard low howls from the forest. Not human, but deeper than any normal wolf in the forests.

"Just the wind." She said to herself, watching the lights of the city turn on to drown out the natural view of the stars above.

* * *

The creatures ran through the woods, claws and fangs glistening in the moonlight. They had been seen by a pair of weak humans, and that was not acceptable. The couple had no chance to escape them.

With a brief scream from the man's lips, they were torn apart quickly.

"Well Brother, you did well this time." The Alpha female said to the Omega male dryly as she licked blood from her claws. Her fur was pitch black and her eyes a dark green that held a great degree of sadism in them. She grinned, her chops dripping the blood of the humans.

The Omega nodded slowly, waiting for the Alphas and Betas to fill their bellies before he did. He looked remarkably like his sister, only his eyes were softer and his stance more submissive. A half hour later, he ate his fill of flesh. He looked up to the moon in the sky and sighed. "Another month until the full moon." He said softly, knowing full well what was going to happen soon again.

* * *

"This is Summer Wilkins for the Jump City News." A young woman with soft blonde hair said into her microphone. "Hikers this morning had just found the bodies of a man and woman apparently out on a date. Both bodies were cannabalized with both hearts taken. It is unknown who could have comitted such a crime, but as more information is released by the police we will report it."

Robin, the fearless leader of the Teen Titans, turned the television off. He turned to his team and looked to each one of them. "We have no idea who or what did this. It could be a ritual murderer, some kind of crazy animal, or anything at all. Once the police know what's going on can we move in."

Beast Boy, the green animal shapeshifter, shook his head. "Dude, that's messed up. We should just go in now and kick ass!" He said, sickened by the thought of cannibalism made as stomach lurched.

"We must not let these criminals escape! We should go now and avenge these murders!" Starfire, the Tamaranian princess, said with a rising rage, eyes glowing a fierce green. "My people would have gladly executed such monsters."

The cybernetic enhanced teen, Cyborg, frowned. "Ya'll gotta calm down. The police can do this on their own. Let's just worry about the big fishes first, then we can go after those sicks fuckers."

Raven looked up from her book. "Maybe. Or maybe we should see what the police has right now. I'm sure Robin could help them with their investigation." She said. "At least one of us would be helping look into this."

Robin nodded. "She's got a point. Cyborg, while I'm helping the police you'll lead the Titans. I'll keep you all up to date with any information I can get." He said, tapping a few keys into the computer. "There, the police will be expecting me shortly. Titans, take care." The Boy Wonder said, walking out. "If anything happens call me. I'll be to you guys as soon as possible."

* * *

Craig looked to the den of his pack as he curled up on the ground. Though it was nearing summer, there was a small blanket of cold that would wrap itself around him. He was the Omega, the lowest of his pack. No mating rights at all, and he was always last for everything else.

He felt paws on his back, claws digging into his flesh. "You failed last night Brother. Those humans saw us because of you." His sister growled in his ear. "You know what must be done now."

Craig felt cold inside. He hated his sister, how she treated him like this. Jennifer pushed him onto his back and clenched her jaws around his shoulder. "Don't move, you remember what happened last time." She said darkly as he whimpered in pain and fear.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Teen Titans is owned by DC Comics.

Chapter Two

Robin looked over the scene, thankful that the bodies had been moved recently. He bent down and examined the ground. Slowly his eyes scanned the dirt and saw several disturbances on the ground. "Hmm, these footsteps look digitigrade." He said. "Humans are plantigrade... and they're deep too, which means whatever was here, it was heavy. What could have done this?"

* * *

The city street was littered with small craters from the fighting. The Titans, minus Robin, had seen the report of a robot ravaging downtown. When they arrived, they were shocked to see it have Slade's colors on it. 

"Teen Titans, go!" Cyborg shouted, blasting his sonic cannon at the single robot in front of them.

The machine dodged the blast and fired one back at Cyborg. This machine didn't look like one of Slade's normal robots. It was more equipped to be able to actually counter the Titans and their abilities. Slade had learned from his mistakes and wouldn't repeat them, not if he wanted the Titans gone for good.

Starfire flew up high, gathering up her starbolt energy and firing at the robot. The bolt hit, pushing the robot back. Raven helped out, using her powers to grab one of the robot's arms and trying to pull it off.

"Surrender or be destroyed." The robot said, firing its beam at Raven. It knocked the half-demon down, only to have Beast Boy smash into its back with his head as a rhino. The green shapeshifter turned back to his human form and started stumbling around.

"Titans, together!" Cyborg said as he, Starfire, and Raven shot off their blasts together.

The mix of sonic, solar, and dark energy smashed into the robot, breaking it's shell and frying its circuits into a molten slag. The machine stopped mere feet from them before falling over.

"Booya!" Cyborg shouted, throwing his fist into the air. "Slade's now 'bots have NO chance against the Teen Titans!" He said, looking at the others. "Who wants to celebrate?"

* * *

Celebration was Cyborg and Beast Boy playing a marathon of games while Starfire tried to make snacks. Raven just sat there, rereading a book for the tenth time. 

"You know you can't pass me." Cyborg said, taunting Beast Boy as he was far ahead of him. "Not when I have my... NITRO!!" He shouted in glee, his virtual car racing faster than before and rushing over the finish line. "BOOYA!!!"

Just then Robin walked in, his arms loaded with files from the recent murders. "Can't be bothered, busy." He said to them curtly, walking to his room.

The others nodded, but Raven frowned as she read her book. She never thought about it before, but realized that she needed new books. With a sigh she stood up. "I'll be back later." She muttered, putting her hood over her face and walking out.

* * *

The bookstore was around for many years, but Raven never knew of it until recently. She had met the owner many times, as he was the only one that worked there. He was a kind old man, yet seemed to still have the vigor of youth. 

As Raven walked in, she soon smelt cinnamon. The owner, Lyle, looked up at her and smiled. "Ah, Raven. It's good to see you again. I just got these pumpkin pie scented candles! Don't they smell wonderful?" He asked, his dark eyes shining brightly.

She nodded. "Smells like Thanksgiving in here." Raven said, looking around for a few moments. "I'm looking for a new book, I've read all of mine." Her eyes caught a dusty old book. She picked it up and flipped through the pages. "_The Night Wars_?" She said curiously.

Lyle looked at her sharply. "Put that down." He said, his voice hard. "That's not something for one like yourself Raven."

Raven was taken back by the tone of his voice. "What, why?" She asked, frowning. "I mean, you never snapped like that before."

He frowned at her and took the book from her. "You are a good person Raven, but _The Night Wars_ is something you shouldn't read, not unless you were... nevermind."

She knew for sure something was up, but didn't feel like pressing it. Lyle put the book down and picked another up. "Ah, this should be good for you. _The Overview of the Water Demons_. I am sure you would find this interesting. It describes everything about them, how they looked, which god created them, and even down to their monetary system." He said, smiling now and handing her the book. "I'm sure if you learn more about demons, if you meet one you'll know how to fight it."

Raven took the book. It was very large and each chapter could take days to read fully. "Uh, thanks." She said. "Just put it on my tab."

"Will do. I just hope that the city will give you and the rest of the Titans their own accounts though, so that you'll actually have to deal with money. Honestly, everyone should be worried about damned taxes!" Lyle said in a soft chuckle.

* * *

He was beaten and bruised. Blood clotted along the various cuts his sister had made on him. Craig coughed a bit, some dribbles of the crimson fluid on his chin. The Alpha male had beaten him to a near pulp after finding Jenn on top of the Omega. Craig had pleaded and begged as he was hurt repeatedly. 

Some short growls and snarls were heard. Some of the Betas were fighting each other, knowing that with Craig out for a while they had to let their agression against each other.

He whined softly and tried dragging himself away from the pack for a while, but was too weak. Craig closed his eyes and passed out.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Teen Titans is owned by DC Comics

Chapter Three

Slade was watching the recent events in the city. His new machine had fared better than expected, but it still needed some modifications. "Almost worked. All it needs is to be mass produced, and the Titans will stand no chance." He chuckled, turning on a new monitor. His single eye glared. "Those damned beasts, coming into MY city." Slade just watched the werewolves going through the city via monitors. "They'll know who the alpha of this place is soon enough."

* * *

Night had fallen on the city, and the pack was hunting. Not for food, but for a now rogue.

"Spread out. Find the filth and kill him." The alpha male, Zane, ordered the pack in a low growl. Craig had escaped when they thought he was passed out from his injuries. Apparently the pup had more stamina than they thought. "He's disobeyed us for the last time."

The others nodded, fearful of their alpha's strength, though some would now undoubtedly question his leadership if their _Omega_ of all people could escape from him, and Zane feared losing his power in the pack more than anything.

So the pack split into small groups and began hunting down their missing member. Craig was at the bottom for a reason, he wouldn't be that hard to track.

* * *

He had left many trails throughout the city, knowing full well that they'd catch him sooner if he only made one. Craig had opted for the sewers once they got closer, knowing that the stench would make it nearly impossible to track him via scent.

Soon he stopped by a manhole, taking the cover off and climbing down into the sewers. Once in the dirty muck, Craig started running as fast as he could, trying to evade all the large refuse that was settled down here.

After what felt like hours of running, Craig started slowing down and panting. He stopped on one of the raised dry walkways and rested. Slowly he closed his eyes, hoping that the stench of the sewers would prevent his old pack from finding him down here.

* * *

They searched for hours before returning to the meeting spot.

Zane growled darkly. "We either find Craig or one of you becomes Omega." He snapped. "We're not going to stop until he's dead. Got it?"

The pack nodded. Jenn did too, but looked at her mate with a hint of disbelief. Her brother, though the weakest in the pack, knew the ways of the hunter very well. She knew that if they didn't find him soon, they never would unless some higher power let them.

* * *

Robin stood on top of the building where Slade and Raven had their encounter, when the criminal mastermind was working for Trigon the Terrible. He looked around, frowning. "Digitigrade feet... pretty large too... and obviously well equipped to live in the forest." He descended from the building and started to Titans Tower. "A lot of animals are digitigrade, but none are that large... unless..."

* * *

The Titans were called into the main room. They waited as Robin tapped in some statistics.

"From what I've examined at the crime scene, the feet are shaped like... this." Robin said. A picture of a canine foot came on screen. "The creatures walk digitigrade, like most mammals. From the space between each print and the depth, they're bipedal and probably weigh between 300 to 350 pounds. One seemed to reach 400 pounds."

Raven took this information in slowly and started digesting it. She frowned. "Not human, that's for certain." She said.

"That's what I thought too. It's big, has canine shaped feet, and lives in the woods."

Beast Boy raised his hand. "What's a canine?"

* * *

Lyle was sipping some black coffee when Raven walked in. "Hello Raven." He said, smiling. "Finished that book already?"

She shook her head. "No, I was hoping you could help me and my friends out with something."

He nodded. "The killers in the forest. I've been keeping track too." He said. "Werewolves should know better than to leave any leftover meals."

Raven leaned on the counter. "So how do we stop them? Silver?"

He laughed. "Oh Raven, I thought you wouldn't actually believe human entertainment!" Lyle chuckled and put his mug down. "The best way to stop a werewolf is to kill it. A lot of damage will do." He nodded slowly. "Of course, werewolves are hard to kill. And you should take care during the full moon. The moon madness makes them incredibly unpredictable."

She nodded slowly. "What if we do confront one of these things?"

"Well, try to avoid their fangs. If they get their saliva in an open wound, you'll become infected with lycanthropy and there's no cure for it. Same with vampirism, though vampires have been extinct for years."

"How'd that happen?"

He sighed. "I'm tired for today Raven. Maybe some other day I'll tell you about it." Lyle said, standing up slowly and walking to the back.

Raven just watched the old man go into the back before heading home. She frowned to herself, thinking of how he was avoiding some subjects. She wouldn't press him to answer, that wasn't really her thing.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Teen Titans is owned by DC Comics

Chapter Four

Craig woke up hungry, tired, and alone. Slowly he began searching for a way out of the sewers for food. His stomach grumbled deeply and he whimpered to himself as he crawled for the stench pit and into the dark city.

Soon into his search he smelt meat. Cold and raw, but it was food nonetheless. Quickly he crashed through the window and into the butcher shop. Craig started grabbing hunks of beef, pork, and venison into his arms, trying to get enough for a while. He heard a noise above him and footsteps. He dove out of the broken window and into the night.

The shop owner rushed down with a meat cleaver, looking around. "Dammit. Rob was right, this part of town ain't safe."

Slade had some of his weaker machines sweep through the city for any and all traces of the local pack. He had no desire to see them run through Jump like it was theirs. They were beasts to him. Worthy of nothing more than extermination.

"Find them, track them." He ordered his robotic minions. "Find their den if you can." He glared at the sole wolf on the monitor. "One of them is running around. Kill him."

The Titans were patrolling the city when Beast Boy called the others.

"Slade's bots are running around here!" He whispered to them frantically. "A lot of 'em too!"

"Just hang tight Beast Boy and stay hidden. We'll be there soon." Robin replied. "Titans, go!"

Craig was cornered. He turned around and looked at the robots moving in closer. He whimpered, dropping the meats. "Please don't hurt me." He whimpered, his ears folding against his head and his tail moving between his legs.

Slade's robots raised their weapons and powered them up, aiming right at Craig.

"Titans, go!" Robin shouted, tossing a couple bird-a-rangs at the bots.

Though under attack by the Titans, the robots had their orders and were now firing at Craig. A few blasts got the werewolf in the left knee. Craig yelped and started climbing up the wall behind him quickly. Slade's robots kept firing, but were soon destroyed by the Titans.

"After him!" Robin shouted as Craig escaped.

The werewolf was limping and blood dribbled out of his injury. Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy went after him via flight while Robin and Cyborg went back to their vehicles.

Despite his wound, Craig was still giving the Titans a good chase. He didn't recognize his surroundings, but he knew that running was his only choice.

"Please stop!" Starfire said to him. "We will not hurt you!"

"His wounded Star, I don't think he's going to stop for us to help him." Raven replied.

"But why?" The Tamaranian asked.

"He's more animal than human. His instincts tell him to find a safe place to hide. But if we let him go, we'll lose him." Raven said. "His injury looks bad if it was on a human."

Craig kept running until he reached a manhole. He tossed it off and started into the sewers.

Beast Boy landed and grimaced. "Dude, I'm not going in there!" He said. "It stinks like Star's meatloaf!"

The others got there shortly, Cybrog grabbing Beast Boy by the collar and dragging him in. "You ain't backing out now!"

They reached an intersection in the sewers and looked at all the other directions.

"Split up and find that thing." Robin said, walking forward. "Try to incapacitate him and contact everyone else when you have him."

They nodded and started moving into separate directions.

Raven floated by, alert of her surroundings. Every trickle of sewer water, every scurrying rat, all the little noises she kept track of. Any normal human wouldn't be able to track all the noises, but Raven could. She could even hear the light clacking above her...

Craig pushed off the top of the sewers and towards Raven. He thought that by taking one of them down that if confronted by the rest he might stand a chance. His claws reached out, slashing at her.

Raven dodged the attack, but part of her cloak was torn away. She instantly sent a distress message to the others via communicator, before preparing her own move. Her hands sent out small daggers of dark energy to Craig.

He turned, crouched, and propelled himself onto the concrete walls of the sewers. The werewolf scurried along quickly, trying to find a flaw in Raven's defenses. He saw her move her hands toward him, and he leaped at her again.

She raised a shield to deflect his strikes, but knew she couldn't hold it up for long. Raven saw that he wasn't limping as badly, but it was still there. Suddenly she blasted him in his knee.

Craig howled in pain as he fell onto his good knee, licking the wound slowly. Raven kept her hands up, ready to strike. He noticed her slowly moving closer. Quickly, Craig's head snapped up and his fangs clenched around her wrist. Raven gave a cry of pain and smacked him in the head. Craig let go as soon as she hit and started running away.

In the infirmary Cyborg was busy wrapping Raven's wrist in gauze. She winced everytime it was wrapped around the bite she received.

"So it bit you and ran off." Robin said.

Raven nodded. "Yeah. I thought I was far enough from him. Guess I was wrong." She said. "This'll heal in a day or two if it's left alone."

Robin nodded. "All right. I'll give you three days just to make sure."

"Thanks."

Lyle looked at Raven oddly as she started panting in the doorway. "I'm going to guess you have something I should know?"

She nodded and lifted her bandaged wrist. "I was bitten."

He blinked for a few moments and just stared at her.

"I. Was. Bitten." She repeated, slower and a bit louder.

"I heard you child! I'm old, but not deaf!" He said with some indignance. "Show me the wound."

Raven did so. She looked at it in shock. "It's healing already." She said. Indeed it was. What was once a bloody mess, her wounds were now much smaller.

Lyle nodded. "The lycanthropy's spreading faster than normal." He said. "It must be the demon half of you."

"So when will I get fur and a tail?" She asked dryly.

"Your first full moon. Of course, you'll have no memory of what happens. And you may be violent. Or lustful. Most likely both." He said, preparing some coffee.

"Me, lustful?" Raven asked in disbelief. "I seriously doubt it."

"Half of you is now werewolf Raven." He said, looking at her. "Instincts and emotions will be harder to control."

"Well that sounds great." She muttered.

Lyle started sipping his hot drink. "It depends on your willpower. A natural werewolf doesn't see any need to control themselves. They let nature dictate how they act. With a small mix of reason of course, they're not just large two legged wolves after all."

She looked down at her feet until Lyle put two books in front of her.

"_Surviving Lycanthropy _and _The Night Wars_. This'll tell you what you need to know about being a lycanthrope, along with the sentiments that other therianthropes have about werewolves. This is the one you were looking at the other day. It will tell you of how the werewolves helped lead the destruction of the vampires."

Raven nodded slowly. "So, werewolves killed all the vampires?"

"Werewolves, werebears, werefoxes, and most of the other therian breeds were involved. Most of the chapters are really bits and pieces of diary entries of warriors on both sides. Of course, the vampires aren't painted in a pretty picture. Even their own soldiers write about doing acts of great cruelty and tyranny with glee." He tilted his head before chuckling. "You as a werewolf. Quite honestly I find that highly amusing. The ever stoic Raven, howling at the moon."

She glared. "I might come and visit you just to piss on your rug." She said in a low growl.

Lyle laughed and kept laughing as Raven walked out, a little aggravated.


End file.
